(CSULB) Was a pre-bio, now want to do pre-nursing. I am worried if I can.

[Dontknowwhat]

I'm having difficulty with what to do as I wasn't doing too well in chemistry [for those at CSULB, I took CHEM 90, 111A and partial of 111B (I'm dropping it this week).] and it has opened my eyes that I probably can't go into med school. I'll admit, I didn't put in the effort that was needed.

So, here is where my concern is. I don't want to go through what I have already where I picked a path that I ultimately had to change. My current GPA (chem really killed it) is 2.75. I am only in my first semester as a sophomore. My grades for the 4 prerequisite general education are Math: A, Communications: B, English: A, Critical thinking: expected A/B (currently enrolled). I have not taken Chem 140 or any of the other prerequisite natural sciences.

I'm scared I won't have the GPA for nursing. Or will they not account for my chem classes that weren't part of pre-nursing?

Also, I've heard that the nursing chem is easier than the chem classes (111A/B, 322A/B).

I guess what I'm looking for is some one to tell me that I can/can't do it. I need guidance and I find it more realistic to talk to other students than the departments and counselors.

[maddiem]

General Chemistry is a prerequisite for nursing school, so you will need to take that class over again. Here is a list of the basic prerequisites for nursing school, they all vary by school, but these are the ones that are the same among all schools - Anatomy & Physiology 1 (sometimes general biology is a prerequisite to A&P), Anatomy & Physiology 2, Microbiology, General Chemistry, and College Algebra (some schools require statistics). These are just some of the courses required for nursing school. The school you go to will have a total list of courses required to be able to apply to the program. In addition to the prerequisites, you will have to take an admissions test as well. This gauges how much you learned and remember from your prerequisite classes.

As for your GPA, a 2.75 is not a competitive GPA for a nursing school application. But that doesn't mean you can't fix it! If you do well in all of your prerequisite classes, you can definitely bring up your GPA! A competitive GPA for nursing school is somewhere around a 3.50. So you will need to get mostly A's and some B's to bring up your GPA to that point.

Now I have to say, don't think that nursing school is going to be the "easy way out" of your biology degree. Nursing school is HARD. And being a nurse is not an easy job. Shifts can be anywhere between 8-12 hours, no breaks, constantly on your feet, multitasking...You're not the doctor's "assistant". You're doing all the work and care that is involved with the doctor's diagnosis and orders. I would highly recommend that you shadow a nurse before making the decision to pursue nursing school. If you really focus on your studies and do well in your prerequisite classes, you have just as good of a shot at getting into nursing school as any of us! Good luck!

[CDEWannaBe]

You will need to be proficient in Chemistry, both to get into nursing school and to do well in your Physiology and Microbiology prereqs.

But I don't think you're out of the running. If you want to be a nurse, you will figure out how to be successful in Chem. Take a good teacher, devote time to the class (maybe 6-10 per week for a tradtional class; I spent about 30 hours a week for my online summer Chem class), and use supplemental teaching tools like Chemistry for Dummies and online teaching from iTunes U or youtube.